Pinings — Quiet, Please

By Sherry Hughes       sah103@hotmail.com

Dear Pinings,

I went to the beach a few days ago to spend some time away from my busy life. I brought a book and was hoping for a quiet afternoon. The kids beside me were having a bad day, so I moved. They were loud and rude and very rambunctious.

Later on, after a nice hour or so in the sun, another family came over and sat down. They unpacked all of their beach toys and chairs and coolers (they literally rolled a cart onto the beach full of their stuff) and started the chatter. I moved again, to a more remote part of the beach.

When I walked back to my car later, I realized that I was really far from the parking lot —I had to sit so far away from my car that I was winded. How do I avoid this kind of thing? I just want to be alone, quiet. Whenever I make a decision to take some time for myself, (no small thing, trust me) I am tested by noisy kids.

- Julia, a harassed mom

Dear Julia,

Keep on trying. Not every beach is a noisy, messy place. You might do some research on the Web about places that are more quiet. Or, when you arrive, ask around about where you might find a calm spot.

It’s summertime and the beach is the hot spot. You might have a difficult time finding peace at the beach. But you can always bring headphones or earplugs.

Sherry Hughes welcomes letters from readers. Contact her via e-mail at sah103@hotmail.com